Dark Paws
by Lady Lexi of the Lil' Lands
Summary: Four siblings, all hated, all looked at with narrowed eyes, eyes wondering what they were up to this time. Two siblings, both hated, both looked at with narrowed eyes, eyes wondering what disrespect they were going to show this time. They are bound together by a prophecy. Work together and they will save the Clans, and one will fall to darkness. Fail, and all six will perish.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: First of all, this chapter turned out to be a lot longer then I planned. And _darker_ too. .-. I assure you that after the prologue, the chapters will be more light-hearted. (And maybe shorter.) Also, HUZZAH, FIRST WARRIORS STORY! AND HUZZAH, FIRST STORY I FEEL LIKE I'VE WRITTEN WELL! :D**

**Prologue Part One**

Once again Goldenkit was woken out of a good dream by the sound of laughter. Goldenkit growled softly and snuggled into his mother's fur, hoping that whatever the kits in the corner were scheming would have nothing to do with him.

Four dark little scraps of fur were huddled in the corner, speaking in low voices about their next prank. It was becoming a bit of a hobby now. The leader of the four kits was a dull black tom with pale blue eyes and a splash of white in his chest. He was the first to find the thrill in agitating others.

His consultant was a glossy black she-kit with eyes with bright green eyes. She came up with their best -and worst- 'games'.

The third kit was a large kit who shared his sister's pelt and eyes. Although lazy, he always supported his brother's word, even if it was wrong.

But then there was the last kit, the fourth kit. Since birth he had been odd one of the litter. He didn't even have his siblings' black fur. Instead it was gray, a very dark gray, but still gray. His eyes were a dull blue, like wilting periwinkles, and his underbelly was a ghostly white. He loved pranks as much as his siblings, but he was far more hesitant, far careful more then them, that it made him a bit of an outsider.

"I know, I know!" The she-kit chirped, green eyes glistening with mischief.

"Let's go on an 'adventure'. We'll have all sorts of 'fun', we can set up all sortsa 'games' and get the whole Clan to freak out!" Her mouth hung open a while, to reveal sharp little white teeth bared in an impish grin and looked expectantly at the ashy black kit. The gray kit bristled, clearly seeing the flaws in the plan already but the pale black kit's eyes clouded in thought, his head swimming with thoughts of adventure and thrill and big tough warriors scared out of their wits after a couple of kits... And with the thoughts of getting punished and scolded. But a smirk spread across his face, and the gray kit knew it was pointless to argue. His brother had already made up his mind.

Goldenkit tried to fall asleep, but there was no point. He already heard their plan. He already knew what kind of trouble they were trying to stir up... Now he just had to wait for it to unfold in the morning.

He hated how they talked the most. It started out as a way to keep the older cats from learning about their future pranks, but now it was simply how they thought of their antics. 'Fun.' 'Games.' 'Adventure.' What was so 'fun' about making cats angry and startled?

No one is going to like those kits. Even when they grow up. He just knew. Who would like four cats who seem like their only enjoyment in life is to be so troublesome?

* * *

Goldenkit awoke from a troubled, dreamless sleep. Yawning, he picked himself off his feet and gazed around the nursery. The corner was empty, with the four dark kits gone. Goldenkit narrowed his eyes, but did nothing more. Everyone was asleep. Nobody will notice yet. He had plenty of time before the chaos began.

Turning his back to the corner, his eyes fell on the sleeping shape of his mother. Even in the darkness he could see her golden tabby fur. And snuggled into her side was his two sisters. His bigger sister, Lionkit, was tawny and lean, like the great LionClan she-cats long ago. His much smaller sister, Lilykit, was tawny as well, but looked more like his mother, for she had a golden tint and faint tabby markings that made her look fierce.

In comparison to his sisters, he was nothing special, save for his large size. He was golden, with a white underbelly, and blue eyes.

But in comparison to the Clan, they were all different then most, and that made him feel very proud.

Normally, when he wakes up early like this he'd wake up his sisters and they'd take the chance to goof off and do things they'd never get to do when the Clan was awake. But those four troublesome kits... Gah, they made it seem like a crime now!

Scowling, he slumped back down onto his mother's belly. Why would they want to play tricks outside in _leafbare_ anyways? Maybe the cold would force them back inside...

* * *

"It's cold!" The dark gray kit squealed as he stumbled after his three siblings through the snow.

"And I could be sleeping right now," the large black kit murmured crossly, "do you have to bring all of us along all the time?"

The smaller black kit stopped walking and turned to face his siblings.

"I know you're cold and sleepy," he mewled, "but it'll all be worth it! Think of all the stuff we could do! Besides, we didn't climb outta the stone hollow for nothing! We got "work" to do, right Ravenkit?" He turned to face his sister. And of course, she played right along.

"Yes we do Batkit! It's our duty as kits to do this kinda stuff!" Ravenkit declared, her small chest puffed out with pride. The glossy kit continued to mutter darkly to himself, his tail lashing in annoyance.

But the gray kit wouldn't give up.

"And it's wet," he complained, "and the snow's getting in my fur!" Batkit didn't even bother to turn around as he mewed,

"You're never gonna have any fun if you keep being such a mouse-heart Sootkit! The cold won't hurt us if we keep moving."

"Mouse-heart, mouse-heart!" The glossy black tom sneered for good measure.

Sootkit sighed. Why did Batkit have to be such a bossy furball?! This was a bad idea, he could feel it all the way to his bones, and more then just because it's cold. But his stupid brothers and sister weren't listening!

Batkit maneuvered his little kit patrol through the forest, stopping at the roots of a tall oak tree. His mouth twisted open in a toothy grin, he turned his head to stare expectantly at his siblings.

"Now Beetlekit, this is a really big tree don't ya think?" He asked his larger brother, his tail quivering in excitement. Oh boy, it was the round-routine. Batkit loved being repetitive.

"This _is_ a really big tree Batkit!" Beetlekit announced, clambering up a root to stare up at the branches in awe. Turning to look at Ravenkit, he mewed "What do you think we should do Ravenkit?"

Ravenkit's eyes flashed with mischief, as she circled around the tree, inspecting ever little ring, root, and rift in the tree. Sootkit shivered, both from the cold and dread.

"Would you just hurry up?!" Sootkit cried. Ravenkit simply ignored him as she came back around to join Beetlekit on a root and stare up at the branches. Once she was satisfied with her investigation, she turned to face her siblings.

"...Well, we could hide in one of the little dens beneath the roots and then pop up to scare people..." Ravenkit mused.

"Wouldn't they smell us?" Batkit asked, his eyes clouding with thought.

"Wouldn't they follow our scents and end our 'fun' in general?!" Sootkit mewled testily.

Turning a blind eye to her smaller brother's protests, she mewed:

"It's too wet out here for others to smell anything, so we should be fine." Beetlekit nodded briskly in agreement. Sootkit kneaded the ground in anxiety.

But Batkit seemed to be having second thoughts about it.

"Hmmmmmmm... I dunno. I want to leave some time to do something extra _fun_, and I don't want to waste our time to do something _bigger_ by doing stuff we just could do in camp... Those plans aren't quality." Batkit thought aloud, swiveling his large ears thoughtfully. Beetlekit again just nodded in agreement. Sootkit could tell Ravenkit took offense to this, but she said nothing, eyes stormy, tail lashing.

Sootkit turned his attention from his sister to Batkit. He could see Batkit's frost-colored eyes glistening with an inteligence he reserved only for scheming. Sootkit sighed.

"Well... Maybe we should climb the tree- no, scratch that- never mind the tree. Save it for another day. How about we explore the territory- no, go on a rival Clan's territory- no wait, go on their territory and prank rival warriors!"

Batkit was on a roll now.

Beetlekit, being the yes-man as always, just nodded vigorously- sharp white teeth bared in a smirk- while Ravenkit had seemed to forgotten her anger, and her green depths shined with a devious light.

Sootkit gaped.

"_What?!_" He shrieked. Had his siblings gone insane?! This could put their apprenticeship in jeopardy for StarClan's sake!

Batkit shrugged, his face infuriatingly flippant.

"They can't punish us _that_ much right?" Batkit simply mewed. Beetlekit nodded for the umpteenth time.

"B-B-B- but they _can_ punish us-" Ravenkit sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly.

"Sootkit, are you coming or not?" She mewed impatiently "Times a wastin' and it's frigid out here!"Sootkit blinked in surprise. Splitting up the four?

... Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?

"You know what, I think I'm not coming. This is too far." He announced, turning to leave.

"See ya." Batkit mewed flatly.

Snorting, Sootkit walked off in to the distance. Light snow began to fall, and as the little gray kit stormed away from his kin, a small smile formed on his muzzle. They sure were fools to let him go! Now all he had to do was hurry up and tell on them and this mess would be over before it even happened! Quickening his pace, he squinted to see the paw prints left behind by his siblings. A snowflake landed on his nose, chilling the flesh until it felt a little numb, and he sneezed rather unpleasantly. It began to snow harder.

Shaking his body to release a cloud of flurries; he almost wished he talked his siblings to coming back with him. Their dark pelt were far more pleasant to look at than the almost blinding snow, and now it felt colder than ever. To make things worse, the steadily falling flakes was beginning to cover his siblings' tracks...

Sootkit really didn't know how to get back to camp otherwise.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Lilykit was having that dream again. But then again, it was more like a nightmare.

_Heavy gray fog writhed around her body, like a snake constricting it's victim. The putrid vapors seemed to flood every opening in her body, filling her lungs and reaching every inch of her body. Her dark blue eyes could see nothing but darkness, all consuming, pitch-black darkness. Her pelt pricked with unease as she felt eyes burning into her, watching uncaringly. Lilykit tried to scream, but nothing but a raspy cough escaped her mouth. Lilykit tried to run, but her small paws slipped on squashy mud. Her heart lurched as her oh-so little body began slipping down the muddy slope, at first mockingly slow, but then she slid faster and faster... Lilykit clamped her eyes shut, her claws unsheathed and dragging through the mud as if that could slow her done. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, threatening to burst out. She skidded down the slippery slope with such dizzying speed it made her head spin. Lilykit wanted to shriek, she really did, but there was no point. That would only let mote fog in._

_Gagging on the vile tasting mist, she began to feel light headed. _Air! I need air! StarClan, help me!

_Finally, Lilykit cracked. She opened her mouth and let out out a scream of pure terror. At that moment, it seemed as if time moved faster than she could process. She was whisked down the hill quicker than a lightning strike, and she was brutally bashed against the trunk of the tree with a sickening _crack_!_

_And when it did, the the fog seemed to just drain away. Sucked out of her lungs, steaming out of her mouth, billowing out of her ears. The last of the sinister fog was blown away from view. But it was a little too late for that, wasn't it?_

_Not that it mattered anyways. Her sight was bleary and edged with black, like she was peering into a tunnel. Freeing a long, tired sigh, her head dropped roughly to the ground. Her body felt so delightfully numb. She could pretend she was anywhere but lying on a forest floor plastered with mud, when she couldn't feel her limbs. Giggling to herself, Lilykit let her eyelids droop, and droop, and droop..._

_But let them shoot open when she noticed the cold amber eyes peering down at her, the same eyes that had been watching so indifferently as she suffered._

**AN: And that's a wrap! I wanted to write more, at least so I had written in Beetlekit and Ravenkit's point of view but it was getting too lengthy. I didn't want to overwhelm anyone... Well, it would be really short if it was a real book, but this is a fanfic, so yeah, it's pretty long. **

**Some nice things to keep in mind:**

**In this fic, no protagonist (Goldenkit, Lilykit, Batkit, Ravenkit, Sootkit, and Beetlekit,) are more important then the other. But Beetlekit _may_ be my least favorite.**

**Because I haven't finished reading Omen of the Stars, and to be honest, to go along with the plot, many events/details from OotS aren't considered canon. **

**I'll complete the allegiances after the prologue and before the first chapter. **

**I'm lazy and write slowly.**

**Ciao for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wow, I have under ten reviews!**

**...**

**I'm already feeling motivated! XD Thanks for reading! Great StarClan, I must love long prologues, the original prologue part two was VERY long. Õ_Õ The following sections of the prologue are actually just chunks of the original prologue part. It had over 5,000 words... I haven't actually finished writing it all yet, but might as well publish some of it... Some=Practically all of it except the last part.**

**Willowsmoke: Thanks! I'm trying to write at least a hundred words a day, so I'll update quicker! :3**

**Nightmare/Dreams: I've already responded to this review back in KittyClan, but... Yep, Batkit and his siblings are pretty much delinquents. Poor Sootkit isn't, but he kinda gets dragged along for the ride. And yes, that dream of Lilykit's was really freaky. O_o Freakier than I intended.**

**Spam Queen/Kitty: Thanks! I'll try my best to update soon!**

**Jewel: I'm surprised that I managed to write this actually. XP Well, thanks! Don't worry too much about Sootkit, he'll be okay. The rest of them, however... **

**Well anyways, yeah, Lilykit's dream is rather creepy, but I actually thought I didn't write that nightmare well. But nobody is saying it's bad (but they are saying it's freaky) so I guess I did good enough! :P**

**Dream for Tonight/Ri: Thank you! I was actually wondering about the quotes thing, but I never found a clear answer for which was correct, so thanks for telling me that too!**

**Destiny/Willow: Thank you! :D**

**Fang/Jordan: Thank you! I was aiming to ****make it so that smiling is a little unnatural for them to do. But... I'm sorry but ****I can't really take your advice about the laughing thing. Purely because certain characters (such as Batkit, Ravenkit, and Beetlekit) have personalities where it just feels right for them ****to laugh, and purring would be weird. Petty, yes, but I just... Can't. :/**

**Raven: Thank you! :D**

**Enough of my rambling! It's story time!**

**Prologue Part Two.**

Out of the three siblings, Lionkit was the only one who got a good night of sleep. Blinking awake, she got to her feet and stretched her creaky limbs. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw a white-and-ginger she cat shift in her nest. It seemed like Rowanblaze was close to waking up. In the corner in front of her, a pale gray tabby, her belly plump and swollen, murmured in her sleep. Silverstrike was going to have her kits any day now, Lionkit was sure of it.

When her sky-blue gaze fell in the opposite corner, she was annoyed to see that the dark, sleeping figure of Duskface was unaccompanied by her own kits. Those four troublesome cats were up to no good, as usual.

"So I guess you noticed who managed to slink off in the night?"

Lionkit almost jumped out of her fur when she heard the caustic voice of her brother sound behind her.

"Don't startle me like that!" she mewed, "And yes, I know they left. Have any idea about what they're up to?"

Goldenkit sighed, his tail lashing in annoyance.

"They've snuck out of camp to cause mischief out there... But that's all I know." He replied. Now it was Lionkit's turn to sigh. Couldn't they stick to the simple stuff?

Lilykit tossed and turned beside her, reminding Lionkit that she should wake her up soon. Turning her head to face her brother again, she asked,

"Well, what are you going to do? Aren't you going to tell on them? Or try and bring them back?" Goldenkit looked thoughtful, but he shook his head only a heartbeat later.

"Of course not! Let them get into trouble for once!" He hissed, and Lionkit couldn't help but grimace at that. Yes, they were annoying, but that didn't mean Goldenkit should let them fall on their face! She opened her mouth to reprimand him, but then Lilykit let out a sharp cry. Alarm and worry flashed in Goldenkit's blue eyes, and he went to nudge his sister awake. Lilykit awoke with a groan, her fur still bristling from the nightmare she must of had. She looked around the nursery, confusion in her gaze as if she couldn't quite remember where she was.

"Lilykit?" Lionkit asked, anxiety edging her mew. Lilykit blinked, and turned her head to look at her sister.

"O-oh, it's just you t-two." Lilykit stammered, her blue depths looking a little wild, "I...had a bit of a... bad dream. Just a bit. B-but it's not like I was _scared_ or anything!" Lilykit held her head high after saying that. Goldenkit looked unconvinced, but didn't voice it.

"Batkit, Ravenkit, Beetlekit and Sootkit ran off again, planning to do StarClan knows what." He informed her bitterly. Lilykit simply snorted.

Suddenly, the three kits heard a loud yawn. Turning around, they realized their mother had awakened. The young golden tabby queen sat up in her nest. She set her warm blue gaze on her children.

"Good mooooooorning little ones!" She meowed cheerfully. She then bent over and gave each kit (to their dismay) a big moist lick on the head. Their mother flashed an especially fond look at Lionkit, causing the kit to feel a bit uncomfortable. It didn't feel right, being the favorite.

But her mother didn't seem to catch her daughter's discomfort. Instead, she went about her daily morning routine. First, she groomed herself, and then Lionkit, Lilykit, and Goldenkit, and then unleashed them to play outside while they could wait for their father to bring them something to eat. the whole time the three kits watched anxiously as the Clan began to stir. Lilykit and Goldenkit were especially bitter, they hated the four little kits and their devious sense of humor.

They recognized the tortiseshell-and-white-pelt of Marigoldfur as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile. And the deep voice of Smokefall as he chatted to Snaketooth about nothing in particular. And the scent of Robinclaw as he ambled past, probably going on a patrol of sorts. Sablestar sat authoritatively atop the ledge as she surveyed the area. Every cat was slowly waking up...

Except Duskface.

Of _course_ not Duskface.

Lionkit shivered in the cold. Was it really a good idea for their mother to let them wait outside? The snow was starting to fall heavily now...

"Hey! Shouldn't you three be in the nursery?" A rather familiar deep voice meowed. Lionkit and her siblings looked up to see...

"Dad!" They cheered, and they immediately went to tackle him. They were a little too old to do that, but he didn't mind, laughing heartily as he fell into the snow. His purely golden fur was shining like a spot of sunshine on the snow, and warm like one too, which was probably why Lionkit found herself snuggling into it. He was still rolling with laughter-literally- so the three kits had to hold on for their lives so they wouldn't fall off.

"Okay, you need to get up now before I roll over your mouse."

...

Now in the warmth of the nursery, the three kits picked at their mouse in unusual silence. Not even Lilykit, who loved to work her mouth, said anything. Their father cocked his head in curiosity.

"What's with the long faces you all?" He asked. Lionkit stopped eating and immediately went to tell him, but Goldenkit was faster.

"We're just tired of waiting for our apprenticeship!" He exclaimed. Lionkit's eyes were wide with shock, but as she turned her head to look at her brother it quickly hardened into a glare. His ears flattened with guilt, but he didn't take back what he said.

Their father didn't seem to notice the exchange. Instead, he purred.

"You'll be apprentices before the end of leafbare, I promise you." Behind him, Lionkit and her siblings' mother rose to her feet.

"I think I'll go for a walk. You know, to stretch my legs." She mewed. And with that, she left.

But still, no one noticed the absence of the four kits.

Nor did their mother awaken.

It was all too convenient.

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait any longer.

"Hey, where are Duskface's kits?"

* * *

Ravenkit's heart beat faster as the forest around her began to thin out. Her spine was prickling with apprehension. Every time she heard a tail brush against a tree, or a paw step a little too loudly, she'd whip her head around, searching frantically for what caused it. Of course, every time it was just Batkit being a bit careless with where he put that tail, or Beetlekit stomping along.

Yet at the same time she kind of liked it. There was something curiously... _Thrilling_ about doing things while being in danger of being caught. Especially if it was particularly naughty...

She and her brothers decided to head east to WindClan, and plan out something there. They were quickly approaching the small patch of woodland that belonged to WindClan. The white, leafbare sun was shining brightly, making the snow an even more unpleasant to look at.

Batkit was bounding eagerly through the thick snow, surprisingly fast for a small kit. Ravenkit and Beetlekit had to dash a few paces just to keep up with him. As Ravenkit was clambering through the snow to get to him, her fur got caught on the branch of a naked shrub. A patch of fur tore right off.

But she didn't notice. Panting slightly, she fell in line with her smaller brother. Batkit craned his neck to look at his siblings, to reveal that his face was contorted in a sharp-toothed grin.

"It's gonna be a _looooooong_ time before the Clans forget this one!" He said gleefully, his pale blue eyes shining. Beetlekit-who had been smirking himself- flicked his tail in agreement.

"Hold on, don't eat your prey before they're killed. We haven't made an awesome plan yet. " Ravenkit interjected, "Besides, if we get all excited before we do anything, it won't nearly be as good when it's been... inacted." She then puffed out her chest in pride for using a big word... Albeit it was slightly mispronounced. Batkit looked like he was going to arguesfor a moment, but he nodded instead.

"You're probably right. So let's start planning... Riiiiight now!"

Batkit stopped _just_ as they reached the WindClan border to scheme. He sat right before the markers, and began to swivel his ears thoughtfully. Ravenkit plopped down beside him, while Beetlekit remained on his feet, looking out for WindClan patrols.

Ravenkit let her mind wander in all directions, trying to think of the best kinds of pranks for this endeavor. A novice-like annoyance prank such as trying to dump cats with snow would be boring, and could be a bit anticlimactic. After all, the simply hilarious surprise would be replaced by fury in moments after the WindClan cats realized the pranks were preformed by ThunderClan kits. Surprise, fear, and agitation were funny. Fury, wasn't. But angering WindClan would be had to avoid, so the trick had to be worth it...

_Fear..._

Suddenly, Batkit jumped to his feet, his eyes glistening. Beetlekit stopped surveying the area to give his two siblings his full attention.

"I've got it!" His head whipped around to look expectantly at Ravenkit, as he mewed eagerly:

"What is something that would get _any_ cat to freak out?" Ravenkit hurriedly racked her brain for the answer, not wanting to kill the excitement.

"Uhhhhh, danger!"

"You're getting warmer!"

"Um, intruders- no wait, rogues!"

"Close, but don't think cat!"

" _Um, e__agle! No wait dog! No wait fox!"__  
_

"_Hot!_ You're flamin' hot!"

"Ummm... Oh, duh, badger!"

"_Exactly!_"

Batkit let rip a overdramatic cackle.

...

They stared at him blankly.

"How are we gonna get one?" Ravenkit asked after a moment of silence. Batkit sighed exasperatedly.

"No, mouse-brains! We don't _need_ to get one! With a little simple trickery, we can get them to believe a _horde_ of badgers are attacking!... Well, not really, but still!" Ravenkit's heart fluttered with euphoria when she heard the word _trickery_.

"What kind of _trickery_? Are we going to build some kind of badger decoy? Or maybe put a little snow in our pelts to make us look like badgers? Or would we simply just yell 'Badger!' and have them come running towards us?" She mewed eagerly.

"Ooh, I like _all_ of those ideas!" Batkit mewed delightedly. He then stopped to think. Ravenkit and Beetlekit could tell that he was really thinking hard. His ears began to swivel, and for a few moments, his eyes frosted over with that same look of intelligence he reserved only for scheming. As if it had occurred to him that a WindClan patrol could appear at any moment, he looked around for other cats. When the coast was deemed clear, he beckoned them over with his tail.

"Okay, so here's the plan." He mewed in a hushed voice. "It's much simpler then I like, but I have a feeling that it will work."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's a Sootkit-update Jewel! :D**

**Prologue Part Three.**

A small body was huddling by the roots of a leafless oak tree. The little body shivered. He (or maybe she) was covered in snowflakes, making it difficult to figure out who it was. But you could tell he had big, self-pitying eyes, and that they were a dull blue like wilted periwinkles. Suddenly, he shook himself vigorously, and revealed himself to be...

None other than Sootkit.

And thus, Sootkit sneezed.

Sootkit had given up trying to get back to the stone hollow. His siblings' tracks had vanished because of the quickly falling snow. He got lost. He got disheartened. And now he was freezing cold, sitting between the roots of an ancient oak tree, waiting for someone to rescue him.

Sootkit was very mature. Duskface said so. But now he just wanted to dart back to camp, run into the warm nursery, curl up beside her, and never leave her again.

Well then. Sootkit finally did it. He mustered all his courage, and split up the four. Considering the result, Sootkit didn't want to it again. He shivered a second time. He whimpered for the first.

He wallowed in his self pity for such a long time, he gave the weather another chance to give him a white pelt. He shook himself again, and watched the flurries fall with dull eyes. His fur was damp and cold.

"I want to go home!" He squealed.

" Oh my, am I imagining things, or did I just hear little Sootkit's voice?" A she-cat's voice mewed.

Sootkit nearly jumped out of his pelt. His ears pricked; he tasted the air. Sure enough, above the wetness, he could smell a Clanmate, a queen in fact. It wasn't his Duskface (to his disappointment,) but someone he knew almost as well.

"I want to go home!" He repeated. A golden tabby she-cat appeared from the trees. It was Lionkit, Lilykit, and Goldenkit's mother, of course. She gasped.

"Sootkit! It _is_ you!" She rushed over towards him, rolling him over and inspecting him as if she was checking for injuries. Sootkit mewled in discomfort, but otherwise he didn't complain, he knew she was just worried, like any decent cat would be. She looked wildly around the forest.

"Where are your naughty, naughty siblings Sootkit?" She asked, her voice high and hysterical. Sootkit's eyes went shifty. He honestly didn't know, and he was a bit embarrassed about it too, for some reason.

"Uhh... I don't know." He admitted with a cough. She sighed wearily.

"Well, come along then. I may be a first time mother, but I know it's no good for little bitty kitties to be out in the cold!"

Irritation flared in Sootkit's chest, but before he could say a single snappy remark, she grabbed the skinny gray kit, hoisted him into the air, and dropped him carelessly on her back. Because _apparently_ carrying him by the scruff didn't cross her mind.

The gray kit was then forced to unsheathe his claws and hold on for dear life as the she-cat ran through the forest.

_Any cat would of thought __I'm going to die, the way_ _she's running!_

She was running so fast, she nearly crashed into the big black body in front of her. Thankfully, even if she didn't stop herself, the cat had backed practically fox lengths away from her. Sootkit's eyes were squeezed shut, but when he opened them, he found himself staring into the dark orange eyes of Smokefall, the cat his 'ride' almost smashed into. Startled, he tumbled to the ground. He was helped up by a pale gray she-cat that he recognized as Downyfur. Her amber eyes were ablaze with disapproval, but the fear scent on her was strong. There was another cat with them, still standing where Smokefall was a moment ago...What was her name? It was kind of funny... Appledapple, he believed?

"You found Sootkit? Where did you found him? Where are the other three?" Smokefall mewed to the young tabby queen.

"I found Sootkit by... You know, that gnarly old oak tree? Yeah, there. He was _aaall_ by his lonesome, can you imagine that? He says he doesn't know where his siblings are." The golden cat replied. Smokefall's gaze hardened ever so slightly as he turned his head to look at Sootkit again. The dark gray kit didn't like that look.

"Are you so sure he doesn't know? You know those kits aren't above lying." Sootkit's fur bristled, with discomfort at the accusation, and shrunk at Downyfur's paws. The mistrust shown towards him _hurt. _Appledapple's eyes softened at the small kit.

"Now now Smokefall, I know you're disgruntled, but that's no excuse to be hostile to a _kit_. Look at him!" She gestured with her orange spotted tail at Sootkit, who had grown another snowy pelt. "He must be freezing! Get him to his mother now, and question him later." Smokefall looked like he was about to argue, but he thought better of it. Instead, he shook the snowflakes out of his thick fur.

"...Fine. Let's hurry up and get to camp. Duskface and Blackfrost will be glad to see that at least one of their younger kits are safe." And with that being said, he gently picked up Sootkit and headed towards camp, the three she cats following closely behind him.

* * *

Lilykit was peering out of the nursery when she saw them return. Every cat in the stone hollow turned to look at the cats come in, surpride and relief on their faces. Smokefall had entered camp, carrying small Sootkit by the scruff. Duskface was almost brushing the black warriors' fur she was so close, scolding the kit he was carrying. Sootkit, his eyes wide, nodded at everything she said. The gray tabby was furious, but Lilykit knew that anger was born of worry. She felt a twinge of pity at how shaken up Sootkit looked, but she snuffed it out as soon as she felt it.

_He deserves it! And where are his stupid brothers and_ _sister anyways?_

Lionkit and Goldenkit soon joined her. Their father was gone- in fact everyone in the nursery had left- they went to look for the other kits, or to wait for news near the fresh-kill pile.

"Where's Batkit, Ravenkit and Beetlekit?!" Goldenkit hissed. Lionkit's eyes were dark.

"Yes, where are they? I hope the little rascals aren't lost!" She mewed, her voice worried, but tainted by irritation. Lilykit thought that the three remaining kits didn't deserve sympathy, and that Lionkit was foolish to think they got lost. She _knew_ they were simply up to no good, didn't she?

Sablestar leapt neatly off the Highledge, her black and white pelt catching the light. She padded slowly over to Smokefall and his search patrol. The young leader looked simply livid, the way her fur was bristled and her eyes wee dark blue slits, and the pity came back ten-fold.

"What were you _thinking_?" Sablestar hissed at Sootkit. "You had the whole Clan worked up over this when they could be hunting and renewing the borders! Honestly, I'm sick of your antics!"

She looked past Sootkit and at the rest of the patrol.

"Go. Do something useful with yourselves." One by one, the cats walked away, but they all seemed hesitant to leave the kit alone with the fumy Sablestar. Soon only Smokefall and Duskface were remaining.

Smokefall sighed a muffled sigh, placed Sootkit gingerly on the ground, and hurried away.

Sootkit shivered and trembled, as stood there by himself.

Duskface looked mutinous. She dug her claws into the dirt as if to root herself into the frozen ground, and looked Sablestar in the eye.

"Now listen Sablestar, you're angry- and you certainly should be," she gave a hard look to Sootkit, "but you better punish Sootkit and his littermates with _fairness and respect_. If I see them locked up in the nursery for a season or running about camp day and night doing every gruesome job you can find you'll _**never**_ hear the end of it. And even if you don't, you better not spit venom at them while scolding them either. And don't say you wouldn't have done these things in the first place, I _know_ you would. Got it?" The gray tabby spat. Lilykit thought she never saw Sablestar look so embarrassed. She stared at her feet and pawed at the snow; her ears flat on her skull.

"Yes Duskface, I'll do that." Sablestar mewed obediently, though her resentful eyes betrayed her true thoughts. Duskface eyed Sablestar for five uncomfortable heart beats, and then turned and left.

Sablestar turned her attention back to Sootkit.

"Come to my den and wait with me Sootkit." She mewed, her voice coldly polite. Sootkit nodded slowly-almost fearfully- and followed her to the leader's den.

Lilykit was so intrigued by the scene outside she almost squeaked when Goldenkit nudged her.

"Hey!" he mewed, "Rowanblaze and Silverstrike want to keep an eye on us, weren't you paying attention?"

Sure enough, the two she cats were sitting side by side at the nursery's entrance, with Lionkit standing nearby. Lilykit blinked. Wow, she didn't even noticed them!

"Well, aren't you coming?" Silverstrike mewed. Lilykit stood up, and together, she and her brother bounded over to join them.


	4. Chapter 4

**After this you're going to have to wait an hour or two (maybe a day or two) for the last part. But it'll be really quick! :D**

**Prolugue Part Four.**

Beetlekit appeared to be nothing but a lump of snow. Ravenkit too, in fact. Batkit, however, had his ears and eyes sticking out, so it looked like the the bank of snow was alive. Beetlekit was freezing cold to the marrow, but he knew he couldn't move a mouse-length. Not till Batkit gave the signal.

He imagined his brother flicking and swiveling his ears as he listened for a WindClan patrol. He imagined Ravenkit must of been squirming under here, dying to just jump into action, dying to scare something.

He couldn't tell for himself, of course. His eyes were squeezed shut, and even if they were open, all he would see was white.

He felt his brother's body tense up beside him. Beetlekit's ears were filled with snow, but even then he could hear a muffled droning of mews. It was WindClan! Beetlekit was feeling very antsy now, but he forced himself to stay still. So he decided to try and learn what all the fuss was about. He couldn't make out many words. It was just a jumble of syllables really.

"Th...StarClan that's...Thought it...-ever end!... -t? You didn't...? Amberfli-... kitti-..." None of this mattered to Beetlekit, and he could understand so little he eventually blocked it out. The one voice was joined by many voices, but the only thing that was important to the glossy black kit was that they were distracted. And if they were distracted, that gave Batkit plenty of time to give the signal. Beetlekit felt his brother exhale deeply beside him , and his breathing slowed...

"**_Badger!_**"

Batkit had a young-sounding, high-pitched voice, but he _bellowed_ that. The small cat jumped out of the snow, and waited, his tails raised and ready to give the signal. Beetlekit and Ravenkit popped their eyes open, legs tense, and waited, hearts pounding and ready to pounce. If Batkit's prediction was wrong, they'd just be sitting and waiting to get caught, and they'd look terribly foolish. Oh, but if he was right this would be just priceless!

And luck was on their side.

At first, there was an uproar of confusion. Fear-scent rolled over to them in waves.

And then they exploded towards them. Beetlekit was afraid they'd trample them all.

But he found his legs springing quickly into action, slamming into a tawny WindClan apprentice. The small apprentice let out a shriek of terror and pain as she fell to the ground. In Beetlekit's peripheral vision, he could see an ashy black shape collide with a dark brown warrior, and cause him to tumble awkwardly onto a gray tabby. Swift as a bird, a shiny black blur leapt onto a warrior as white as snow, causing him to stagger backwards, and have another white warrior crash painfully into him. As the WindClan patrol quickly reduced to a pile of gangly legs and aching heads, the three kits ripped themselves off their victims and scurried under a bush to admire their work.

Immediately, Batkit burst out laughing.

"Can you believe it?" he gloated, pointing at them with an unsheathed claw, " They fell for such a stupid prank! Literally! Look at those chumps, all sprawled up in one big heap!" Ravenkit followed soon after, sniggling with total abandon at the groaning, dazed WindClan cats. Beetlekit joined in last, and soon the three kits turned into a snickering mess as the disgruntled cats recollected themselves,. Batkit was guffawing so hard he almost fell over into a branch if the bush.

He didn't because he fell into another cat.

"No no, keep laughing, this going to be your last laugh in a _looooong_ time." He mewed venomously with his oh-so-familiar deep voice.

Batkit and his siblings slowly turned their head to see who he landed into. It's not like they needed to, the scent was flooding the three kit's nostrils. It's not like they needed to, his voice was enough of a clue for them.

The three troublesome kits found themselves staring at a cat so large he had to flatten himself to the earth to fit under the shrub. He had glossy fur, that was all night black, except his snow-white chest and underbelly. He had large ears for a cat, that were flattened onto his skull, and the darkest blue eyes. He was so silent, so still, and his eyes were so stormy with fury, he looked like the harbinger of death.

"Oh... Hi, father." They said in unison.

* * *

"Words can not express how much this embarrasses me."

Batkit rolled his eyes as Sablestar gushed and kissed the feet of the WindClan leader. He and his siblings had gotten escorted back to camp and into the leader's den by Blackfrost, Duskface, and Wolftail. He and his siblings (including Sootkit,) was sitting side by side as the Sablestar apologized over and over to Mudstar. Batkit would normally be glad to see the rare occasion that is Sablestar groveling, but he was embittered by their discovery (not to mention his throat hurt a bit too, it was bothering him). If it wasn't for Ravenkit, getting her fur caught in a bush, they would have never gotten caught! Batkit shot Ravenkit an icy glare. Ravenkit gave him an indignant look and turned away. Both Beetlekit and Sootkit had wide eyes as they stared at the ground, the only difference in their body language was that Beetlekit's tail was lashing in annoyance.

"And I'm sure this lot must be as ashamed as I am," Sablestar continued, swinging her head to glare expectantly at the four troublesome kits, " aren't they?"

Sootkit nodded quickly. Probably out of habit, Beetlekit nodded briskly. Ravenkit looked Sablestar in the eyes, her own green depths hardened with defiance. A strange sense of pride flared in his chest at the sight, and involuntarily, he opened his mouth and said:

"No."

An incredulous look flashed in both Sablestar's dark green eyes and Mudstar's pale yellow ones. But Mudstar's shocked expression quickly turned to disgust.

"Well fine then. Don't be sorry. But don't complain either when WindClan beats some sense into you the next you show up on our border!" The WindClan leader meowed haughtily. He gave Sablestar a pointed stare, "Honestly, you'd think ThunderClan wasn't completely bee-brained! Teach your kits some respect!" He turned around and left Sablestar's den with a huff.

For several painful heartbeats, the five cats said nothing.

Finally, Batkit had to say something to break the silence.

"Pfft. I don't think he meant any of that; he's the leader that's always catty right?" He mewed hoarsely.

The small black kit soon detected his pun, and he giggled a bit, and wiggled his ears cheekily.

Sablestar was not so amused.

"You **_troublesome_** little lot!" She hissed. "I can't _stand_ this! You're always pushing your luck! Well I'm not taking it anymore! My mother says you are all intelligent, but you must have thistle down for brains if you do something like this! Mudstar was right, show some respect! Grow up if _you're so **smart**_ and make the right choices!" She sniffed, "Why couldn't you end up to be more like me or Wolftail?"

Now that the punishment and the wrath of their Clan leader loomed fully over their heads, all the last bits of defiance seemed to melt away.

Batkit had never seen Sootkit look so ashamed. He stared straight at the ground, his ears flattened on his head, with fear scent rolling off him. He got into several coughing fits, and looked shrunken and out of place. He had never seen Ravenkit look insecure. She straightened her whiskers and fidgeted endlessly, her green depths shadowed and turbulent, but struggling to look willful. He never saw Beetlekit look so resentful. His tail lashed with anger, and his bright green eyes were narrowed with fury, but his fur was disheveled, and his eyes also had a clouded, hopeless quality to it as he stared at the side of the den.

It set Batkit's heart ablaze.

"Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Sablestar demanded.

Batkit felt his fur stand on end. Ooh, he bet she thought she was sooooo much better than them, just because she was Clan leader and had respect because of it! But underneath, she wasn't all that different! She may be strict and serious like Blackfrost, but Batkit knew better. She was a kit too once, she made mistakes as well. She still does (because she's -surprise surprise- a normal earthly cat), and she has the whole of ThunderClan depending on her!

He wanted snarl all of these things to Sablestar, but he didn't. Instead, he simply said:

"You're a terrible sister."

Sablestar narrowed her eyes into dark blue slits.

"I don't feel very related to you."

Ravenkit mustered all her courage and opened her mouth to say something. But all that came out was a hacking cough. In fact, the rest of Batkit's siblings began to cough too. All Sablestar could do was sit and stare as the four kits coughed and hacked. Batkit couldn't believe he didn't smell the sickeningly sweet smell of early whitecough sooner.


End file.
